Shuka Minerals Begins First Kabwe Drilling in Decades to Boost Zinc Resource
Shuka Minerals Begins Phase 1 Drilling at Kabwe Zinc Mine with Ox Drilling to Target 50% Resource Expansion
Dual-listed Shuka Minerals (AIM and JSE) has appointed Ox Drilling as the contractor for its Phase 1 drilling programme at the Kabwe zinc mine in Zambia.
The project is operated through Shuka’s local subsidiary, Leopard Exploration and Mining.
The drilling campaign is scheduled to begin in mid-May and will be supported by geological consultancy GeoQuest.
Phase 1 Drilling Programme
The initial phase comprises a 2,000-metre diamond drilling programme using PQ and HQ core sizes.
The drilling will target known mineralised zones surrounding and beneath historic workings at depths ranging between 100 metres and 500 metres.
Shuka Minerals stated that results from Phase 1, combined with ongoing exploration work including airborne and ground magnetic surveys, surface sampling, and geological mapping will be used to finalise drill locations for a larger 10,000-metre Phase 2 programme.
These efforts are also expected to support a future resource and reserves upgrade under the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) standards later in the year.
Notably, this marks the first resource drilling conducted at Kabwe since the 1970s.
Resource Growth Objectives
The company’s 2026 exploration programme aims to increase the current mineral resource by 50%.
The existing estimate stands at 6.8 million tonnes grading 13.3% zinc and 3.3% lead, with an estimated in-situ value of approximately $4 billion.
In addition to zinc and lead, the programme will also assess the presence and economic potential of by-product minerals, including silver, vanadium, germanium, and gallium.
Metallurgical studies will be conducted to better understand their recoverability alongside base metal production.
Contractor Experience and Logistics
Ox Drilling brings more than 20 years of operating experience across Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other Southern African jurisdictions. The company operates a modern fleet of drilling rigs and has previously worked with major mining groups including BHP, Barrick Mining, and First Quantum Minerals.
Based in Ndola, approximately 180 kilometres from Kabwe, Ox’s proximity is expected to improve logistics efficiency, reduce mobilisation time, and enhance cost effectiveness for the programme.
Shuka Minerals also noted that Ox adheres to high health and safety standards and will collaborate closely with GeoQuest to ensure safe and efficient execution of the drilling campaign.
Company Commentary
Shuka Minerals CEO Richard Lloyd described the start of drilling as a key milestone for the project.
“It is exciting to begin a fully funded drilling campaign at Kabwe. Ox Drilling and GeoQuest have worked together previously, and their planning for this initial phase has been extremely thorough,” he said.
He added that the programme is based on carefully selected mineralised zones identified from historical drilling conducted by ZCCM and Anglo American.
“The objective is to refine and upgrade the geological model and resource base, while also testing less-defined areas.
We also aim to improve understanding of the by-product minerals at Kabwe, some of which may represent standalone economic opportunities based on historical production data,” he said.
